Guilty Conscience
by forlorn-devotion6
Summary: "On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero." She could only protect herself for so long. He would make it his ultimate creed to protect her: if she died, he would die, too. Altair/OC
1. Innocent Bystander

**Oh, oh no...another new story! And it's not an Ouran story? I know, it's crazy. But I dunno, maybe this could work out. I like the idea of this story in my head...I hope you guys like it, too. :D Soo, not much to say EXCEPT that I do not own Assassin's Creed...duh. I do, however, own Kalila (which means 'beloved' in Arabic, just btw xD). I'm so excited for this story, you have no idea =] Anyway, enough chatter! Please review what you think of this and favorite if you like it! ;D  
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She stood atop a _rather_ tall building and looked down at the city below her. The people walking around looked like tiny ants. That idea made her smirk slightly; she was so much mightier than all of them…

The 25-year old woman took a step forward onto the wooden perch, but a male's voice in her head stopped her.

"_Don't do it Kalila…you'll get yourself killed."_

The girl, Kalila, smirked wider, "As if, Father. You've just got to believe in me a bit more." She took a deep breath and continued out onto the perch. Now there was literally almost nothing separating her from the most amazing leap of faith ever.

Another deep breath and Kalila slowly spread her arms out…like an eagle.

Then, before she could second guess herself, she jumped. And for that split second it took to raise her feet from the perch, time seemed to stop suddenly. This time, she heard a female voice.

"_Please dear, it's not your time yet…"_

Kalila felt the wind rush through her long brown hair and as the ground slowly came closer into view, she smiled widely and exclaimed, "This leap requires a _lot_ of faith, Mother…!"

After a few seconds, Kalila saw her target: a bushel of hay. She cringed and managed to do so a somersault in the air, to reduce her falling velocity. Finally, she felt herself surrounded by itchy straw…and a slight pain in her back where she landed.

Well, that's expected when one jumps off of a 500 foot building…

Kalila got out of the haystack not-so-gracefully and brushed herself off. A few meters away, a random store-owner stared at Kalila in confusion, considering she just emerged suddenly from hay…

She caught the man's stare at blinked in false confusion, "What? I didn't do anything…" The man gave her one last awkward look before going back to his stand.

Sighing heavily, the green-eyed girl looked up at the building from which she just leaped. She grinned to herself and thought, "The tallest building in all of Israel…and I just rubbed it into the dirt." She laughed at herself silently and began walking back to her cottage.

However, as she was walking, she shook her head to nobody and thought, "Why am I walking? I can jump buildings like it's my job!" Kalila looked around nonchalantly and then saw a nearby ladder. Grinning to herself once more, she went over to the ladder and quickly ascended it all the way to the top.

Kalila shook the nerves out of her arms and hands as she examined the gap between the building she was currently on, and where she wanted to go. It was decently far, but Kalila wasn't about to back down because of that.

The girl stepped back a couple of feet to get a good running start. She took a reassuring deep breath and started running for the edge. Just as her feet met the edge, she pushed off a hard as she could forward.

Now, she was airborne. Kalila looked down at the ground and noticed a few people look up at her in awe. Suddenly, she felt her feet hit the next building.

But she didn't stop there; she kept running on the roof of this new building.

She continued this for several yards: jumping from roof to roof to ledge, then climbing up walls to the next roof…then continued. The whole thing was incredibly exhilarating.

However, she got a bit _too_ into it: when she jumped from another roof, she didn't look before she leapt.

There was now literally _nothing_ between her and the rock ground.

Kalila cringed and crossed her arms over her face, bracing herself for impact.

"_**Wait! It can't end here!"**_

Kalila's eyes snapped open at the unfamiliar voice; it wasn't in her head, but all around her. Then, she noticed that all of her surroundings were completely stopped.

She looked to her right and saw an eagle staring her down in an absent flight. But then, the eagle suddenly flew off into the opposite direction.

Kalila's eyes followed the eagle until she saw a figure in a white outfit in the process of jumping between rooftops. A few yards behind him were several guards with their swords drawn.

Before Kalila could even question anything around her, she started falling again. She gasped and looked back down at the ground and, instead of seeing the rock ground, saw a pile of hay.

The girl landed safely into the hay, completely unscathed. As she stood up and brushed herself off, she thought, "That was…bizarre. Possibly one of those 'life flashing before your eyes' things." She didn't question it anymore…and decided to walk home instead of jumping.

As she was walking through crowds, the quiet town air was interrupted by a loud, bellowing man, "The assassin is getting away! Stop him!" Townspeople started to clear the area in fear, but Kalila only turned around to get a look at the madness.

But just as she turned around, someone collided with her roughly and they both fell to the ground.

Kalila groaned in slight pain and looked up to see…an empty face. Well, rather that she couldn't see the person's face since it was covered by a white hood. But this person was definitely male, considering their muscle structure, which was still on top of her.

Without a word, the man started to get up from the girl, but a guard's voice rang in the air, "He's taken a townsperson hostage!" Kalila raised an eyebrow to herself and thought, "As if I could be taken hostage…" However, she then heard the man curse under his breath.

The next thing she knew, she was being lifted up from the ground by this strange man and flung over his shoulder. Kalila cringed and shouted, "What on _Earth_ do you think you're doing?" The man didn't answer and just kept running in unknown directions. Kalila looked behind the man to see that the guards were still chasing them.

One guard shouted loudly, "Wait, he's protecting her! She must be in alliance with the assassin! Capture her as well!" Kalila's mouth gaped open and she yelled at the mysterious man, "how _stupid_ are these Acre guards? You see what you did? As an innocent bystander, now _I'm_ considered a threat! I knew Israel would only bring me problems!"

Suddenly, the man turned a sharp corner and they ended up in an alleyway. Before she could even question the man, Kalila was dropped to the ground and the man was gone.

She was still in complete shock, but didn't get any time to tread on it. The guards had finally caught up with her and stared at Kalila menacingly. One man said sternly, "You aided the assassin to escape! Where is he?" Kalila stood up and held her arms up in defense, "Wh-What? I don't even know _who_ that man was!"

One of the guards drew his sword and pointed it at her neck closely, "Tell us…or you will lose your life."

Kalila gulped loudly; she was incredibly confused. Why would some random guy drag her around the city, then suddenly just drop her and leave?

Suddenly, her eyes widened in realization; it made sense now.

"He _used_ me to divert the guards away from him…"

The guards stared at the girl as she stared at the ground in shock and talked to herself, "He _actually_ managed to _use_ me, and so shamelessly…!" The guard with his sword to Kalila's neck growled and pressed the edge closer to her throat, surprising her, "You have ten seconds, woman!"

Kalila smirked to herself and shook her head, "Ten seconds…alright then. I'll start the countdown. One…"

Then, in a flash, Kalila did a back flip and kicked the sword out of the guards hand in the process. And just as quickly, she grabbed the sword off the ground and got into duel position.

"Four…"

Kalila then went forward and stabbed the original owner of the sword in the stomach. She continued this with another two guards. The three remaining guards got into the offensive as they also drew their swords out and attacked Kalila all at once.

The young girl took a deep breath and dropped the sword to the ground, "Seven…"

She then jumped up into the air and landed on one guards head. Then, she pushed down on said head, snapping his neck in the process; he died instantly and fell to the ground. Wasting no time, Kalila punched one guard in the mouth, causing him to pass out in pain, and the final guard earned a devastating kick to the groin.

Kalila breathed deeply once more and calmed herself down, "Eleven seconds…my bad."

Now that these guards were out of the way, Kalila finally had something to do tonight.

"That bastard assassin thinks he could use me so easily? I'll show him!"

Kalila looked up to the sky and shouted, "You hear that assassin? You _better_ stay in the shadows tonight! I _will_ find you and make you _pay_ for thinking you could use me like that!"

The girl punched a fist into her hand and whispered to herself before running off into the shadows, "_Nobody _has _any_ right to use me…in any way…"

Meanwhile, the white-clad assassin watched the strange girl high up on a nearby building. Simply by listening to her shouts, he felt a strange feeling pulling at his chest. He couldn't quite decipher what it was, but it _was_ getting in the way of his keen senses.

"_She seems lethal… I should probably keep a close watch on her…"_

But there was something more he wanted to do. But still, he couldn't determine what it was. So instead of treading on it, he followed the girl at a reasonable distance, waiting for the moment he could get her alone…

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**I know what you're thinking, and the answer is: yes, this is supposed to be misleading and confusing. xD All will make sense eventuallyyy. And yes, the man is Altair :P Let's see, what else... I think that's all for now. If you have any questions, I'll gladly help you out though! So, until next update, if you liked this intro, show me that you do! Review and favorite! :D**


	2. Rival and Target

**The story continues! Please enjoy this next addition! :D**

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Kalila rested a hand against a building as she caught her breath; she's been searching for the bastard-assassin for three hours straight now, but to no avail. She should've expected this, however, considering this man _was_ an assassin…or at least that's what those guards called him.

But on second thought, Kalila had no doubt in her mind he was an assassin; she recalled a sword sheath on his waist, a lot of leather armor on his torso, _and_ the hood that hid his face may have given it away.

She didn't know much about assassins, but _obviously_ they were those who killed people who _deserved_ to be killed. So far, that was the only thing she respected about this guy: he killed non-innocent people who deserved.

If only _she_ had the nerve to kill some of those people…

After a few more moments, Kalila sighed deeply and decided to continue her search for just a bit longer before returning home. However, before she could come out from her alleyway she was hiding, she heard a man call out from down the path, "The woman has brown hair and is Arabian. She is clothed in black pants, a white blouse, a maroon corset, and maroon sandals. She must be brought in _immediately_; she will be charged with murder on six counts and assisting a wanted criminal. She must be _brought down_."

Kalila looked down at herself and frowned at her clothes as she thought, "They _would_ be looking for me… All the more reason to find and bring down that assassin…" She heard several footsteps approaching closely, so she pressed her back up against the building and held her breath.

As she expected, several guards ran past her and she remained unseen. When she no longer heard them, she exhaled deeply and hit her head against the wall, "Might as well go back to Saudi Arabia…"

However, her momentary peace was short-lived when, suddenly, she felt a gloved-hand press over her mouth and quickly pull her further down the alley. Kalila struggled roughly, but her captor only held onto her tighter.

But then, the person spoke softly, "I come in peace… Relax yourself and I will release you." She hated bargaining when not in her favor, but she calmed down regardless; the sooner she was released, the sooner she could kick this unknown guy's ass.

Finally, the person released her and Kalila quickly turned around to face her captor as she got into offensive position. Her mouth gaped open in shock when she finally did see the person.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me..."

On second thought…she should've seen this coming. Kalila got tighter into her offensive position, "Why am I not surprised to see you again…bastard assassin…"

"Bastard assassin…? Those are pretty bold words for a woman to use…"

Kalila growled softly and pointed at the man in a threatening manner, "Well _those _are pretty bold words for someone who_ used_ this woman to run away from a couple of guards like a scared little kid! Do you have _any_ idea what you've done? The entire city is after me because they think I'm in a partnership with you!"

Slowly, Kalila got back into her offensive position and glared at the assassin, "Fight your own battle this time, assassin. I'll have you pay for thinking you could use me like that!"

Suddenly, she lunged forward at him to punch him, but the man quickly side-stepped and then took Kalila's right arm, pinned it behind her, and then pinned her to the wall. Kalila struggled to get free from his grasp, but she had no such luck.

The man whispered as he leaned towards the girl's ear, "Why are you so vengeful towards me? You took those six guards down all on your own with no problem. Your skills are certainly impressive…" Kalila growled again and turned her head to face her newly-found rival.

For the first time, the man actually looked at his new and interesting target. His eyes widened slightly; he wasn't prepared for what he saw.

She was absolutely beautiful.

He accidentally looked at her green eyes and his heart lurched for a moment. He was so engrossed and intrigued in her beauty that he didn't even sense the stray cat that ran by them and down the alleyway.

Suddenly, he was livid.

She was _distracting_ him and literally _blocking_ the very sense that he worked so hard to train. He couldn't even sense that cat just now? Simply pathetic of himself.

After another subconscious glance to the girl's eyes, the man released her and stepped back, "I'll make sure they don't get near you. Your skills deserve that much." Then, without another word, he turned to leave.

However, before he could, Kalila narrowed her eyes at him and grabbed his arm, pulling him back and catching him off guard as he almost activated his hidden blade. Kalila glared at the back of the man's head, "I can take care of _myself_…I don't need _you_ looking after me. However, I think I at least deserve to know the _name_ of the man who has border-lined ruined my life here in Jerusalem…"

The man considered telling her only for a second, and then he turned his head halfway to face her, "Altair…"

Kalila managed to lock her vibrant green eyes with his cold golden ones for just a moment, "Altair… I'm Kalila. Now…" Suddenly, the girl released his arm, but then got back into her offensive position. Altair, amused, turned around fully to face her. Kalila narrowed her eyes again, "I'm claiming you as my rival, and that means it's my official goal to take you _down_…!"

Altair couldn't help but smirk slightly. Her valor was a definite plus in his book; he liked this girl more and more as the seconds passed…

The fact that he was smirking like that made Kalila think he was challenging her, "Don't you mock me, assassin! I swear on my life, I _will_ get even with you… Now, fight me!"

Kalila went to lunge at him again, but the assassin spoke before she did so, "I'm not going to fight you." The girl glared at Altair intensely, "I don't think that's for _you_ to decide; defend yourself or die, Altair…!" She sent another punch at him, but this time, Altair stopped the blow with his bracer.

Suddenly, Kalila noticed a blade appear from her rival's sleeve. She faltered for a moment as she stared at the blade; hand versus blade….the outcome would be obvious. Altair noticed her change in emotion and smirked again, "I thought you were going to attack me?"

His cockiness made Kalila angry once again; she growled softly and suddenly bent her knees. Before Altair could predict her moves, Kalila swept one of her legs in a circle and successfully unbalanced the man's feet.

However, as Altair faltered forward to the ground, he couldn't stop himself soon enough; his hidden blade grazed Kalila's collarbone, leaving a nasty tear in her white blouse, a large gash across her collarbones, and a good amount of blood flowing out of the wound.

Kalila was petrified; she had never been this severely hurt before. She softly touched the center of the wound and winced at the pain. She suddenly fell to the ground on her back and her vision slowly faded to black.

Altair stared at Kalila in shock of himself; he had, once again, broken the Creed.

_Never let your blade touch the skin of the innocent…_

_Was_ this girl even considered innocent? _She_ had attacked _him_ first… Regardless, Altair felt the pull in his chest again. And again, he couldn't decipher exactly what it was that he was feeling.

After a moment, Altair bent down next to the unconscious girl, ripped off a piece of his robes at the end, and applied it to Kalila's wound with pressure to stop the bleeding. As he held the improvised-bandage tightly to her skin, Altair found himself staring at Kalila's blank, yet beautiful face.

Subconsciously, he used his free hand to brush some hair out of the girl's face, and then let his gloved fingers linger on her cheek. When he finally realized what he was doing, he quickly drew back his hand, surprised with himself.

He was so surprised with himself that he _almost_ considered leaving the girl there in the alleyway; _someone_ would eventually find her…

However, as he looked at her again, Altair thought, "I should bring her to the bureau… Maybe by doing that I can redeem myself by breaking the creed…" So, slowly and carefully, Altair picked up the surprisingly light-weight girl from under her knees and torso and carried her through the streets as nonchalantly as he could.

He kept his face hidden well by his hood as he looked down at the ground, but instead his eyes caught Kalila again. His eyes didn't leave her once; he didn't understand it though…he just couldn't look away.

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**Aww, so cute xD And since this is Jerusalem (I don't _think_ I pointed that out in the first chapter...), that means Malik will make an appearance! :O Oh, and I think I _also_ forgot to mention that this story takes place one month after the events of Assassin's Creed and that the whole "thing" with Maria never happened (if you haven't played AC2 yet...my apologies xD) Now, I hope you liked this chapter! Chapter 3 shouldn't take _too_ long... Haha, in the meantime, review, favorite...whatever! I've loved the feedback I've received so far. :D See you next chapter!**


	3. Reflexive Shots

**We be on a roll people. :P Enjoy the new chapter! =]**

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Getting up to the roof of the bureau was certainly a tough task, considering Altair was still holding Kalila over his shoulder. He had to ensure she didn't fall from his grasp, but also ensure that _he_ didn't fall as well.

Eventually, Altair managed to get up onto the roof and drop down into the opening. Off to the side of the room was the pile of pillows where Altair would sleep during missions away from Masyaf. So, carefully, he placed Kalila onto the pillows.

She was still unconscious, but the bleeding had finally slowed down, yet was still flowing slightly. Altair bent down next to the girl and slowly removed the bandage. He grimaced slightly; this wound was going to leave a nasty scar and probably wouldn't heal for awhile.

Again, Altair felt the pull in his chest. When he did feel it this time, however, he narrowed his eyes at nothing and quickly stood up from the ground and went into the next room.

Malik just happened to be there; he saw the distressed look in his friend face as he stormed into the room, "Safety and peace, Altair…" Altair blinked for a moment and nodded, "Safety and peace, my friend… I think I may have…done wrong." Malik sighed deeply, "What has happened?"

Sighing softly, Altair gestured out into the other room, "I crossed paths with a rather skilled woman, and I…" Malik waved his one arm in the air as he started walking into the other room, "You have no need to say anything more; perhaps I do not want to know the rest…"

Altair watched as Malik went over to Kalila and inspected her body, then her neck-area more specifically. The one-armed man rubbed his chin for a moment, "I have an antidote that can quickly seal the wound…although it will be rather painful…" Altair looked off to the side, "I believe it would be better than her dying of blood loss…"

Malik smirked as he rose from the ground and went to his shelves of plentiful, unknown items, "Indeed. So, tell me Altair, how you ended up 'crossing paths' with this woman?"

The master assassin, once again, felt the pull in his chest as he began to explain, "A couple of guards had recognized me around town, so they started chasing me. But as I was running, I collided with her. I knew the guards would have considered us to be in a partnership, considering our position. So, I picked her up and took her with me as I ran off.

"I then realized that she would have made the perfect distraction. So, I dropped her some place and then climbed the building quickly. The guards caught up with her and interrogated her and threatened her life…but then she ended up killing them all on her own.

"She ended up feeling vengeful towards me for using her to get away, so she attempted to track me down for several hours. However, I had a close trail on her. Finally, I got her alone and she tried to fight me. One thing led to another, and I accidentally…"

Altair finally stopped talking and his eyes fell upon Kalila again. Malik saw the look on his friend's face and smiled slightly; he finally got the antidote that he spoke of, "Here we are. Altair, try to awaken her. This will be much simpler if she is aware of what we're doing…"

Although slightly confused by Malik's words, Altair nodded and went to Kalila and knelt down next to her; he shook her shoulder once slightly, "Kalila…?" Malik's smile grew wider, "So her name is Kalila?" Altair glared at Malik slightly, "Yes…"

After a moment, he went back to Kalila, who had not responded; he shook her shoulder with a bit more force than before, "Open your eyes Kalila." From behind him, Malik was snickering slightly, "Perhaps a _kiss_ would awaken your _beloved_…" **(A/N: Haha, see what I did there? I made a Sleeping Beauty reference...AND a reference to Kalila's name in English... . No one caught it? Good thing I'm here then xD)**

Altair suddenly felt his cheeks flush and he instantly stood up to face his friend, "Th-that is incredibly asinine for you to even _think_, friend…" Malik smirked as he went over to Kalila and knelt down next to her, "At ease, Altair… Hm…how interesting that _she_ is the one who the city is in an uproar against…"

Before Altair could question his friend's words, Malik gave a quick flick of his wrist on Kalila's forehead; Altair noticed how her eyes suddenly flinched and then fluttered open slowly. Kalila groaned softly and started to sit up, but Malik put his hand to her shoulder to stop her, "Don't move…you are still badly injured. Stay still while I apply some elixir…"

Kalila looked up at Malik in a confused manner, "Who…who are you? Where am I?" Her eyes scanned the room until they fell on Altair; suddenly, she remembered everything. She gasped loudly and narrowed her eyes at her rival, "_You!_ I can't _believe_ you almost cut my _throat_ open! I can't-…wait…my throat…?"

The girl went to bring her fingertips to her wound on her collarbone, but Malik stopped her, "Relax… I am Malik; I'm going to help heal your wound, so please stay still… I hate to say it, but this is going to hurt a good amount…" As he got out a cloth and dabbed it into the bottle of antidote, Malik gestured to Altair, "Hold her down, Altair."

Altair nodded slowly and hesitantly knelt down next to Kalila, who shot a nasty glare at him, "If you even _think_ about touching me…!" Altair cut her off and he held her arms securely in place, "Just stay still." However, Kalila would not comply; she started thrashing around suddenly, causing Malik to unsuccessfully apply the medicine properly, "You'll have to _really_ hold her down, Altair…."

Kalila went to retort, but suddenly her eyes grew wide as Altair was now straddling her torso and pinning down her arms. The girl stared at her rival in complete shock, "What…what the _Hell_ are you doing…?" Altair couldn't help but smirk slightly, "Stay. Still. Those two words should be enough for _you_ to understand…"

The girl growled in defiance, but suddenly an excruciating flash of pain traveled from her neck to her stomach. Kalila's head tilted back on reflex from the pain and groaned out in pain, "What _is_ that stuff?" Malik frowned as he continued to dab the cloth along Kalila's wound, "A special elixir of mine…it'll stop your bleeding and seal the wound almost instantly. You'll just be left with a pretty bad scar for a couple of weeks. Other than that, you'll be as good as new."

Well, Kalila wasn't _feeling_ as good as new. Even though the pain concentrated on her upper chest, the pain somehow went all the way through her body. She tried to get away, but Altair had a tight grip on her.

Altair looked down at the beautiful girl as she grimaced in pain; he started feeling that pull in his chest again… Except this time, the pull was so great that he nearly had to gasp to reclaim his breath. He managed to calm himself down without having anyone notice his panic and looked back down at Kalila.

Malik was finally done applying the medicine and was now cleaning up the excess fluids. Kalila was breathing heavily and trying to relax herself, her chest moving rapidly with her breath.

Since he was still (unnecessarily) pinning her down, Altair noticed that the top part of Kalila's white blouse had been cut off by Malik, probably so he could apply the medicine easier. However, as a result, Altair was able to see more of Kalila's skin than he intended…

Altair's logical mind told him that a woman showing _that_ much skin was simply uncanny.

However, his subconscious couldn't help but…

"Damn, that hurt… Hey, assassin! Get off of me now…unless you want _another_ beating!"

Altair phased back to reality and quickly got off of Kalila (not before stealing a glance at her eyes again…). As Kalila stood up and softly touched her collarbone, Altair crossed his arms and smirked, "I don't recall you ever _beating_ me at all… All I remember is you trying, but failing at punching me."

Kalila was fuming; this guy had _a lot_ of nerve… She wanted to knock his stupid teeth out of his stupid mouth…she wanted to give him a nice slash at his stupid neck like he did to her…she wanted to take his stupid head, look him right in his stupid gold eyes, and bring his stupid lips to hers…she wanted to—

Wait…what?

Kalila instantly blushed at her thoughts; she even looked at Altair to make sure she didn't accidentally say it out loud. Since the only look on his face was confusion, she was more at ease.

But then, green eyes met golden ones again…and Kalila panicked and, on reflex, punched Altair right in the cheek, causing him to actually fall backwards.

Kalila was in shock of herself, Altair was absolutely confused and livid, and Malik was just very entertained. Kalila bit her lip, muttered a 'sorry', and quickly high-tailed it out of there.

Altair stood up just as she was running out and held his cheek in bewilderment.

She was _definitely_ going to get it now…

He was just about to go after her, but then Malik cut him off, "Don't kill her, Altair… When you do catch up to her, I recommend definitely considering her for recruitment…" Altair stared at his friend in amazement; that _woman_ actually being _considered_ as part of the Brotherhood?

Malik smiled slightly as his reaction, "Trust me, friend…I believe she may be a very valuable asset. She may be very worth it…just give it some thought." Altair gave Malik one last look before running up the wall of the bureau and beginning his search for his target.

"_Let's see how much worth she'll be once _I'm_ through with her…"

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_**Oh boy...he's acting all impulsive now. xD I don't think I have that much to say, except...I hope you enjoyed this chapter and that you'll review and favorite because you lovee me! :D See you next time in chapter 4!  
**


	4. Working for Payment

**I'm still on a roll. :D Please enjoy the new chapter, my wonderful readers!**

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Kalila clutched her chest as she breathed heavily from running as fast as she could from that foreign building. After a few more seconds, she poked her head from around the corner of the building her back was against. Since it was about midnight now, nobody was out on the streets.

She sighed in relief as she slid her back down the building and sat on the ground. However, she didn't have much time to relax.

Altair was_ definitely_ going to come after her…

Kalila held her head in her hands as she mumbled, "I didn't _mean_ to punch him… I-I just—"

"You just _what_?"

She instantly flinched as she looked up slowly to see the white-clad assassin standing over her in an intimidating fashion. As she gulped, Kalila slowly stood up from the ground, her back still against the building. Even standing up, Altair was still five inches taller than her.

Kalila didn't understand herself; why was she so _frightened_ all of a sudden? Since when was she the kind to _back down_ from a challenge? A few hours ago, she was above everyone else…everyone else was a mere _ant_ to her…

Altair reminded her of this, "What happened to the relentless woman I encountered this afternoon?" Kalila flinched again as she tried to inch her way around the corner, "I-I don't know…" And she really _didn't_ know… However, Altair wasn't letting her off that easily…

He noticed how she was slowly trying to make her way around the corner of the building, so he put his arms on either side of her to prevent her from leaving. Kalila took a silent, deep breath and then slowly looked up to meet her rival's gaze. His hood was hiding his eyes and most of his face, but she did see one thing.

His smirk…

Kalila's eyes widened; that _smirk_…the one that directly _challenged_ her very being. Her own smirk began to pull at her mouth; if he wanted a challenge, then she would sure as Hell give him one.

She took a deep breath and narrowed her eyes at him, "What do you want from me, assassin…?" Altair was quick to answer, "Payback…for that uncalled-for punch in the face." Kalila flinched again as her rival brought his face closer to hers, "I do you a _favor_ by bringing you to a formidable medic and you _repay_ me by inflicting harm on your savior?"

Kalila was bewildered, "My _savior_? You have _got_ to be kidding me…!" The smirk that played on his lips said that he was full-on playing her, instigating her.

So, she waited exactly five seconds and then finally…she pushed him away from her, _hard_. So hard that he ended up hitting his back against the next building. Kalila took off the second he was away from her and yelled behind her, "Want your repayment? You'll have to catch me first!"

Altair growled softly to himself before chasing after her; so _this_ was how she wanted to play this game? He smirked to himself; she may be strong and quick, but _he_ was also quick, _and_ swift, stealth, and agile. He would catch up to her no problem, and _then_ he'll take her down.

Kalila was already down several blocks as she hid behind another building and pressed her back to it. Gingerly, she put her fingertips to where her scar was. This was what she got the last time she challenged an assassin…what if things got worse this time around? She quickly shook those thoughts out.

_This_ time _she_ would cut _him_…

After a few moments, Kalila caught her breath and started running down the streets again. While she was running, she could have _sworn _she heard footsteps. And not behind her, or even next to her… above her.

Suddenly, Kalila gasped when she looked up and saw Altair jumping down from the building next to her, and going straight for her. Right before he made contact with her, Kalila did a back flip away from him. Once she recovered herself, she got into her offensive position.

Then, she noticed Altair take out two large daggers from his sheaths…and then throw them _to_ her. Not _at_ her, but _to_ her… Kalila caught them by their handles with a confused expression on her face. Altair smirked and pulled out his own sword, "Defend yourself…and this time it'll be even…" Kalila looked at Altair and then the blades in her hands.

Smirking, she got back into her offensive **(A/N: …think of her stance as Rikku's thief stance in Final Fantasy X-2, stance and blade formation alike!)**, "I don't even _need_ your handicap, assassin… Now, come at me!"

Altair was the first to make his move; he went to slash at her, but Kalila blocked his attack with her daggers. For several minutes, this continued between the two attacking and blocking each other's attacks.

Finally, Kalila decided to shake things up: after she had blocked one of Altair's attacks, she quickly lifted up her leg and kicked him in his stomach, causing him to fall backwards onto the ground. Before he could get up, Kalila quickly jumped on top of him and held up one of her daggers to pierce him.

She was going to do it…she _really_ was…but then their eyes met and Kalila suddenly felt light-headed and a sensation erupted in her chest and stomach that made her feel as if she would throw up any second.

Kalila instantly dropped her daggers on either side of Altair and suddenly got to her feet. When she did, she instantly felt a whole lot better. Before she could even question what just happened, Altair was suddenly on his feet, activated his hidden blade, and then dove into Kalila, causing them both to fall to the ground.

Altair held up his hand with the blade and aimed for the sensitive point on the human neck; the place for an instant assassination kill… His eyes pierced into Kaila's and Kalila could have sworn she saw the cold, heartless glint in Altair's eyes that any assassin should have when killing their target.

Kalila closed her eyes tightly, waiting.

"_So…this is where it ends? I'll take this with open arms then…"_

…Nothing came.

Altair was _really_ going to do it; he even started to descend his blade down to her throat. But just before he got close enough to her, he felt that cursed pull in his chest. In fact, the pull was so immense that he had to gasp for breath once again. Altair looked down at the beautiful girl beneath him and was suddenly amazed at himself; why was he even _trying_ to kill her in the first place?

What are they even _fighting_ about? He really couldn't figure it out…

Altair sighed and dropped his hand to the ground. Kalila heard his sigh and slowly opened her eyes, only to end up meeting his. The two stared at each other for a few seconds in silence; they were both lost for words at their previous actions.

"…You should consider joining the assassination guild."

Kalila blinked in surprise; _her_? Being an _assassin?_ She noticed how that glint in Altair's gold eyes had vanished; they were now quite sincere and honest and…something else. She couldn't decipher that third one.

But becoming an assassin would mean training… a lot of it. Was she up for it? Could she even _handle_ assassinating somebody…? She couldn't even bring herself to hurt her _rival_ just now… As she looked up at Altair, she felt light-headed and she flushed slightly as she bit her lip unsurely.

Altair stared at Kalila closely; all of a sudden, he _really_ wanted her to be one of them. Maybe he could personally train her…

"When…can I start?"

The assassin felt a smile tug at his mouth, "As soon as possible…but first we go to Masyaf to train you."

Altair leaned against the wall of Kalila's cottage as he watched her put together a traveling bag. Inconspicuously, he looked around her cottage; it was nearly empty…what could she possibly be packing if nothing was around? He decided to voice his thoughts, "Your house is pretty vacant…"

Kalila glanced over at Altair for a moment and then back at her bag, "I only moved here to Jerusalem a few days ago. I used to live in Saudi Arabia before my parents died two weeks ago…" Altair felt the pull in his chest faintly, "I'm sorry…what happened?" The green-eyed girl smiled half-heartedly as she looked at Altair fully, "They were…killed in action." Altair gave her a confused look and Kalila gave a small laugh.

"They were _assassins_…"

Altair's eyes grew wide with realization; was this why she was so hostile towards him? He decided to end the topic there…

Finally, Kalila finished packing and put her bag on her back, "Ready. When do we leave?" Altair stood up straight, "Immediately. The trip to Masyaf won't take more than a day, but we should go before we're found by the guards." **(A/N: to be honest, I don't know the geography of Israel off-hand, so I can't say how far each of these cities is from each other xD just bear with me!) **

Kalila nodded and gestured out the door, "Then let's get going! The sooner we get to Masyaf, the sooner I get to train, which means the sooner I get to _defeat_ you in a battle…" The master assassin smirked as he started out the door, "I'm going to be your trainer, so I _doubt_ the student can defeat the teacher."

Kalila blinked as she followed him out the door and own the dark road, considering it was still after midnight. Something in her mind clicked as she mumbled, "Everything is permitted, Altair…"

Suddenly, something also clicked inside Altair; had he already forgotten last month's events? Student _can_ beat teacher, and everything _is_ permitted… The assassin smirked widely as he continued over to a horse near the stables and mounted it. He let out a hand for Kalila to grab onto to get on the horse as well, "Indeed it is…"

Kalila looked at his hand and then at Altair himself. She smirked in return as she ignored his hand and got up onto the horse on her own. Altair continued to smirk as he gestured the horse to start moving. Once it did, Kalila panicked at the sudden movement and reflexively wrapped her arms around Altair's waist. However, she didn't end up letting go.

Kalila couldn't help but blush in spite of her own actions and Altair's smirk faded into a faint smile as he also flushed slightly.

Perhaps she really _would_ be worth it to him after all…

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**Look at me, being all cute and such... :3 Haha, I hope you guys liked this! Please review and favorite if you did! See you next time! =]**


	5. First Kill Jitters

**It's one in the morning...I'm tired, but at the same time, I'm not...my apologies if this is confusing. xD Please enjoy this next addition though! =]**

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One month was all it took for Kalila to be (almost) as skilled of an assassin as Altair was. That idea slightly annoyed him, but he was also very satisfied with Kalila's progress. She was now a full-fledged assassin, only two ranks under Altair.

She also had the wardrobe of the assassin guild: she wore robes very similar to Altair's, only hers were slightly more fitted, the robes were a dark maroon instead of white, and she had the red sash Altair had, but in white. Kalila also had smaller pieces of torso armor and bracers that were black. Finally, she wore knee-high, black boots that went over white, fitted pants.

"Are you ready Kalila?"

The girl turned behind her as she grabbed her hood from her nightstand; Altair stood in her doorway, his arms crossed. Kalila nodded slowly, "Y-Yeah…just a minute." As she was putting on her hood, Altair shook his head disapprovingly, "You know you're supposed to have your face covered at all times…"

Kalila frowned and approached the man, "_Well_ Altair, maybe you're just strange with _your_ hood on 24/7." Once she was in front of him, she went to lift the hood up over her head, but Altair beat her to it as he ended up pulling it over her face entirely. The girl laughed and shoved his hands away, "Stop doing that! Gosh, you are _such_ a child…"

Over the past month, Altair and Kalila had grown much closer; _friends_ even… Some of the other people around the bureau would even brand them as _best_ friends. Then there were the others that would _swear_ that the two of them were _lovers_, or at least _secretly_ in love with each other.

But whoever said that would deeply regret it the moment either of the two heard it…

Altair watched carefully as Kalila put her hood on normally, "Are you scared?" Kalila pondered her own feelings for a moment, "I don't think so… I can…handle it, I promise." She gave him a reassuring look and Altair smiled down at her for a moment, but then turned serious, "Our target should be here within the hour. We should get going." Kalila nodded and the two made their way into town.

This was going to be Kalila's _first_ official assassination; Altair would be assisting her this one time, though. However, _she_ would be doing the dirty work.

Their target was a slave trader coming in from Europe, and just happened to be coming to Masyaf; his name was Francesco Fernando. Other than slave trading, he also had the reputation to rape countless women, and then kill them afterwards.

Kalila kept telling herself that he was the type of person who _deserved_ to be killed; nobody should ever get away with the things he had. And she would be the one to take him down and end him.

She could only hope that when the time came, she would be able to go through with it.

Francesco would be meeting some people right outside of Masyaf, so Altair and Kalila would stick to the rooftops of buildings close by.

As Kalila stood crouched on a roof, she heard Altair suddenly next to her. He nodded to her and she got the hint; she closed her eyes and focused the best she could. Finally, she opened her eyes and looked around; although the sight was familiar, it still amazed her every time…Eagle Vision, that is.

Everything around her was dark and as she looked down she saw some blue, some white, and some red shades. She recalled in her first week how she was left blind to her newly-found Eagle Vision and accidentally attacked an ally.

"_Never let your blade touch the flesh of an innocent_…"

Kalila then looked next to her at Altair; he was also blue. That idea made her smile slightly; he was her _ally_…a _friend_, not her enemy like she thought what seemed to be so long ago.

Although, he would _always_ be her _rival_…

After a moment, Kalila focused on her main objective and looked back out towards the edge of town. Suddenly, she saw an unfamiliar shade of gold ahead. She shook her head, "I-I don't…" Altair noticed her distress, "Relax…what do you see?" Kalila took a deep breath, "Gold..."

"And what did I tell you gold meant?"

"…My assassination target. But Altair, I…!"

Altair cut her off as he put a hand to her shoulder, "I understand. The first kill is always the hardest. Trust me Kalila, after this, it won't be so hard." Kalila looked back at Altair and nodded slowly.

"Now, go. I'll be right behind you…I promise."

Kalila nodded again and jumped forward onto the next building with ease; building-jumping was _much_ easier than of last month… She made she was close enough to her target, but was still unseen.

"_Hide in plain sight_…"

Kalila looked over to Francesco and noticed how he was holding onto an unfamiliar woman in a forceful manner. The woman looked as if she wanted to be _anywhere_ but there. Kalila then narrowed her eyes when she saw the slave trader look around inconspicuously and then pull the woman behind a nearby bush.

Kalila's green eyes darkened as she activated her Eagle Vision and could see a golden mass over a blue mass. Something inside her snapped; she wanted _nothing_ more than to kill that bastard right then and there.

After taking a short, deep breath, the girl jumped down from the building she had been on and quickly ran through the crowded streets of Masyaf and closer to the outskirts of town. When she was close enough to the gold color in her vision, Kalila quickly hid behind a nearby tree.

The muffled moans of despair of the woman were heard from behind the bush and Kalila was getting hot with anger. She looked down at her right hand, flicked her pinky, and activated her hidden blade.

She brought the blade up to her face and closed her eyes as she thought, "May God forgive me…"

Another deep breath…and she was ready.

Kalila quietly poked her head from behind the tree and instantly went wide eyed; her Eagle Vision still active, she now saw lots of red in the area…probably Francesco's private bodyguards… However, Kalila wasn't backing down just yet.

It was now or never.

Suddenly, Kalila pushed herself that extra step; she ran from behind the tree and over to behind the nearby bush. She blinked quickly, deactivating Eagle Vision, and now clearly saw the disgusting man on top of the woman.

Kalila's veins were rushing with adrenaline; she shifted her weight all on her feet as she jumped into the air. As she descended, she positioned herself to land on Francesco's back.

She landed on his back.

She found her mark…

She heard the sound of metal against flesh…

She felt her palm against his neck…

She felt her entire body feel as if she was being electrocuted.

The woman underneath Francesco was wide-eyed and held her mouth agape. Kalila closed her eyes, making sure not to meet hers with this stranger.

"Run…now."

The woman instantly complied as she struggled to free herself from underneath Francesco's limp body; she finally succeeded and ran back into town.

Kalila gulped hard as she slowly began to remove her blade from the man's neck. Once her blade was out, Kalila then turned the man's body over completely. Francesco's body was already cold and paling, but he was still taking shallow breaths.

Simply by the look of the body made Kalila's skin crawl.

After a moment, she gulped again as she brought her hand up to the dying man's eyes and shut them, "Let the Heavens accept you for your sins…" The cold man smirked weakly, "Foolish girl…you will regret this…" Before Kalila could question him, he went completely limp.

That was it…she assassinated him… Mission complete.

But…what did he _mean_ she would regret this?  
Suddenly, from behind her, she heard a bunch of hoarse voices approaching, "Do not let her get away! She may be the bountied Arabian girl!"

"…Did he just say bountied? Oh crap…!"

The supposed-bounty hunters were closing in on her, so Kalila quickly ran into town, trying to lose them. She tried taking frequent-sharp turns, but they always seemed to be on her trail. Finally, she decided to take to the rooftops.

Once she did end up free running a building, the hunters will _still_ on her trail. Kalila was getting frustrated as she mumbled, "I would fight them, but there's like…eight of them. I need…!"

"Help?"

Kalila shot her head to her right and saw Altair running next to her. She smiled slightly, "Altair…thank goodness. Wh-What should we do?"

"You know what to do Kalila…just concentrate."

Kalila bit her lip as she looked forward again, and she was just in time, too, since the building they were on ended and they had to jump to the next one.

However, when they did, Kalila successfully made it onto the next one…but Altair did not; his foot had just grazed the edge of the building. Kalila heard her friend's growl of frustration and looked back to see him hanging onto the edge with one hand. She panicked when she saw the bounty hunters approaching them ahead.

Kalila started to go to the edge to help Altair up, but his voice stopped her in her tracks, "No Kalila! I'll be fine…go ahead to the bureau. I'll fend them off."

The green-eyed girl bit her lip as she looked between Altair and the bounty hunters, who were _very_ close now…

"_Don't compromise the Brotherhood…_"

Kalila tightened her fists at her side and ran over the edge of the building and bent down at the side, "I won't leave without you, Altair…" Altair looked up at her in disbelief; he wasn't used to _help_ in the field…

Plus, the fact that it was from Kalila made him feel that all-too-familiar pull in his chest.

Then, Kalila's stretched out hand in front of him knocked him out of his daze. He gulped slightly until he finally pulled up his free hand and grabbed hers. Kalila strained to pull him back up, but she finally managed to do it.

However, there was no time to rest; the two assassins stood up at the same time and continued running across the rooftop, the bounty hunters hot on their trail.

They were going to keep going straight, but then Altair noticed a small booth on a neighboring rooftop to their left, diagonally from them. Altair grabbed Kalila's hand again and pulled her with him to lose the hunters, "This way, quickly!" They managed to be quick enough to outrun the hunters momentarily, so they instantly jumped into the booth as soon as they could.

Kalila and Altair lay down on their backs and stayed close to each other. After a moment, they heard several footsteps pass them. The two assassins held their breaths to ensure their security; after a long moment of silence, they were sure they had it.

Finally able to relax, Kalila lay flat with her head against the ground as she looked up at the sky, "I can't believe it…I assassinated someone…"

"And you did it perfectly."

Kalila looked over to Altair, who was now sitting up, "I-I don't know about _perfect_…" Altair smirked down at his friend, "You were. You never once faltered _and_ you abided to the creed absolutely."

The girl felt herself flush slightly at his words, but then she distracted herself by bringing up her hand in the air and activating her hidden blade, "The creed…I kept reciting it in my head. At first, I thought they were _incredibly_ straight-forward and undeserving of the title of 'creeds'. But now I think I realize that they're meant to _protect_ us assassins. I feel…secure as I know I follow those three rules."

Kalila deactivated her blade and looked over at Altair again; she flushed more when she saw him staring at her blankly. She laughed awkwardly as she looked back up at the sky, "Wh-Whatever…it's silly-sounding, I know. Guess I'm just tired…"

Altair, however, did not find her words silly at all. Through her words, he had a massive revelation.

He suddenly managed to remake the creed into one simple rule for him personally.

"_Do whatever is necessary to keep Kalila Alaya alive…or die in compensation for her life."_

_

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_**Ohh man, a partial cliffhanger. Don't worry, this new creed thing of Altair's will be explained thoroughly in the next chapter. So, as always...review, favorite, whatever! Hope you enjoyed (let alone understood) this chapter and I'll see you next chapter! :D**_  
_


	6. His Feelings

**Upload frenzyyyy :O Are you excited? I'm excited... =] Enjoy this next addition!**

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Altair sat upon the perch on top of the Assassin's Bureau in silence. He gazed down at the town below him but saw almost nothing, considering it _was_ two in the morning and everything was pitch-dark. He wasn't tired; he never really ever was. The only time he would ever sleep was before an important mission.

His legs dangled off the side of the perch and swung them slightly; he started to feel kind of childish by doing so. Sighing, he leaned backwards onto his back and looked up at the star-lit sky.

All Altair could really think of was the new piece of information he discovered in town after Kalila's assassination mission; the men that had been chasing them really _were_ bounty hunters, specifically aiming for Kalila.

Apparently, there was a large bounty on the girl's head for a hefty sum of gold that originated in Jerusalem, but was now known all over Israel. Altair narrowed his eyes at the sky in frustration; why would _Kalila_ have a bounty on her head? His guess was that it was her kill-streak back in Jerusalem when he first met her.

It still didn't make sense though; he and all the other assassins killed _much_ more important figures than some Jerusalem guards. _They_ didn't have bounties on their heads… She must've been wanted for something else.

What exactly was she hiding from him…?

Altair felt his muscles tense; the sum of gold that Kalila was apparently worth was _a lot_…he didn't even want to think of the amount of hunters who would try to go after her. He recalled his thoughts from earlier that day.

"Do whatever is necessary to keep Kalila Alaya alive…or die in compensation for her life." He whispered to himself.

He had been trying to find out exactly what he meant by these words all day; it's not even like he thought about the words at the time, they just _appeared_ in his head… He wasn't exactly sure _how_ to describe his own emotions.

This was what he got so far: the statement wasn't so much a _promise_ to himself; a promise assumed that one could not go through with it. Altair felt as if he was _obliged_ to keep Kalila safe from harm. If she were to die, Altair would simply _have_ to die as well.

He recalled while they in the booth how Kalila said that she felt _secure_ when she followed the guild's creeds; she felt _protected_. That was the best way Altair could describe his revelation: his own, personal creed. If he followed it, if he did whatever was necessary to protect Kalila Alaya, she would be safe.

And for some reason, her being safe was enough for him to stay sane and at ease.

So here's the next issue on his mind: why the Hell did he even _care_ if she lived or died?

Okay…that was a bit of an extreme question. He knew the answer immediately; she was his _friend_, his _ally_… But for some reason, he felt like there was _more_ to it. Maybe, just maybe, he could admit that…they were best friends.

Altair felt the pull in his chest as he thought that, as if his mind was saying, _'__**Nope, try again'**_.

That was _another_ issue…the stupid pull in his chest. Every time he felt it, it was like his mind telling him that he was doing something _wrong_. But…what _was_ he doing wrong?

The master assassin groaned and rubbed his eyes; he didn't want to think about this anymore. The most important thing on his mind should be figuring out why somebody wanted Kalila dead. Altair glared at the sky as he imagined maliciously killing whoever this person was.

Sighing, Altair stood up and stretched out his arms; he decided that he was better off just _asking_ his friend why she thought she was a wanted person. Seemed like a pretty rational idea…right?

After a moment of pondering, Altair performed the leap of faith fearlessly from the bureau roof and into a pile of hay. He got out of the hay and brushed himself off as he entered the bureau through the main entrance. A few assassins that were on guard duty nodded at him in greeting, and he did the same thing back.

He made his way up three flights of stairs and stood outside of Kalila's bedroom door. Before he went to knock upon it, Altair stopped and looked behind him; on the other side of the hall was another door…his bedroom door. The man slightly tilted his head to the side; he had never questioned the fact that he and his friend's rooms were across from each other…

Shaking the thought away, Altair went to knock on the door, but then realized it was already cracked open slightly. He felt his heart lurch for a moment; so her door wasn't closed all the way…who cares? That didn't mean anything…

Regardless, Altair (rudely) opened Kalila's door slowly and quietly and poked his head inside. As he looked around the room cautiously, he finally saw his friend lying down on her bed, still awake and her hood _not_ on (of course). She had her left hand raised up in the air, inspecting it. Silently, Altair just…watched her for a few moments; she _intrigued_ him…

Finally, Altair stepped inside fully, "Kalila…" The girl jumped slightly as she instantly got out of bed, her hidden blade suddenly activated. Altair went slightly wide eyed, fascinated. Kalila finally noticed her "attacker" was Altair and relaxed as she deactivated her blade, "Dammit Altair…don't scare me like that."

"A skilled assassin should not know fear."

He was making fun of her, and she knew that, but on some level…she knew he was right. Kalila sighed and slumped her head down, "Right…" Altair noticed how she seemed downtrodden and got closer to her, "Are you alright?"

"Y-Yeah…don't worry about it. Um…it's kind of late; was there something you needed?"

Altair sighed and nodded, "Yes. I have a feeling that you know more about this bounty on your head than you lead on… I want the truth, Kalila, the entire truth."

Kalila frowned and looked down at her left hand again, "There's no point in beating around the bush then… The person who set up the bounty is Sayyid Jaber. He's a noble back in my hometown in Saudi Arabia. We were…arranged to be married, before my parents died. And when they _did_ die, I ran away from home without Sayyid knowing.

"But _apparently_ he's realized it now, and now I guess he's trying to bring me back home." Kalila smirked slightly as she slid her thumb between her middle finger and pinky…where her ring finger _should_ have been.

She cringed slightly; the amputation of her ring finger still brought shudders through her body. Kalila sighed, "Looks like _somebody_ can't put a ring on my finger now. Too bad _buddy_…"

Kalila laughed slightly and looked back up at Altair. She frowned at his expression; he looked…_angry_. She bit her lip, "Why are you—"

"Did he ever hurt you?"

Kalila was taken back by his monotone question, "Sayyid? Well, _yeah_, I mean…I guess I _did_ act out a lot when it came to him, but then again…he _was_ a bastard… Mother and Father didn't like him either. You can only punch a person so many times before they start to hit back."

She started laughing half-heartedly again, but Altair cut her off again, "How bad did he hurt you…?"

Kalila had to think about this, "I don't ever _that_ bad…maybe a few bruises here and there. But hey, never as badly as you did to me, huh?" She gestured to the scar she still had along her collarbone, which was currently covered by her assassin robes, and laughed a bit more.

Altair went wide eyed and he felt the pull in his chest once again, but much more furiously than usual. Slowly, he got closer to Kalila. He began to reach out his hands toward her and Kalila didn't flinch or move…she was curious as to what he was doing.

Suddenly, her cheeks flamed with heat and her friend brought his hands to the top of her robes at her neck and pushed the fabric down enough so he could see her collarbone. The pull he was feeling persisted as he could now clearly see the scar he had given her a month ago.

In a split second, everything he had been feeling up until that moment made perfect sense. And, instead of treading on it, he acted on it. He released her robes and briefly hesitated on his next move; he slowly started to bring his hands to the back of her neck.

"Kalila…"

She looked at him more carefully and their eyes met. She was so perfect, so beautiful, so…standing right there before him. The master assassin felt many emotions forming in his body, but there was one that was the most dominant: want.

He felt the pull in his chest as his mind taunted him, "_**Close, very close…but wrong again**_."

"A-Altair, I—"

He cut her off as he suddenly pulled her towards him by the back of her neck.

Then, without giving her the chance to react, he kissed her…hard.

And in a second, that pull in his chest was gone.

"…_Love."_

"_**Correct…about damn time."**_

_**

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**_**YAY! :D He's finally admitted it :3 Now...what about Kalila? ...That's what next chapter will focus on, haha. Now, remember to review and favorite because you guys know you lovee mee. =] See you next chapter!**_**  
**_


	7. Her Feelings

**I am on a ROLL today! ...Don't get used to it though...I have work all this week :P But for now, enjoy this new chapter!**

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Kalila felt her heart going a mile a minute. The moment Altair connected his lips with hers, she ended up inhaling deeply on reflex and actually caught a scent of her friend...fresh and crisp…like nature itself.

Altair did not let up on his grip on her, nor did he disconnect their lips. Kalila was slowly becoming light-headed; she had never had her first kiss yet, let alone one that was _this _passionate. It was overwhelming…_he_ was overwhelming her. She could almost feel all of his feelings and emotions transferring to her through this one kiss.

What was she supposed to do now…?

First of all, since she's never kissed anyone before, she wasn't exactly sure _how_ to kiss him back… But, there was a much bigger question on her mind.

Did she want to kiss him back at all?

Kalila had never really questioned her feelings for Altair until this very moment; she always just assumed that they were_ friends_, maybe even _best_ friends. The possibility of a romantic relationship had never crossed her mind.

At least…she didn't _think_ it did…

The thing with Kalila was that she was never really _allowed_ to meet other boys, let alone _talk_ to any back in Saudi Arabia. Sayyid and her had been arranged to be married since they were eight, so him and his family had _forbidden_ her to talk to any other boy except for Sayyid.

Kalila could honestly say she did _not_ love Sayyid, let alone like him at all. And since she was never given the chance, how was she supposed to know what _loving_ or even _liking_ a boy in a romantic fashion felt like?

The green-eyed girl tried her best to reflect on the past month with Altair, which was difficult since she was still feeling light-headed from her friend's still-going kiss…

She knows that she liked being around Altair; although he was a tad serious at times, he still had a slight sense of humor. He was very helpful and patient with her while he had been training her to be an assassin. He always said the right thing to help her feel like she could do just about anything.

He was also the only one she trusted enough to be the one to amputate her left ring finger.

So, in all, Altair was a fantastic person. Now what about the…other part of a person? What was it called…?

Oh yeah, their _sex appeal_…

Kalila could feel herself turning a darker red than she already was. So far, her entire thought process up until now last for almost five seconds. Altair, meanwhile, was waiting…almost considered _begging_…for Kalila to respond to him.

After a moment, the master assassin finally broke the one-sided kiss, but stay close to Kalila. The girl looked up at her dear friend and could only just barely see his eyes. She bit her lip; if she was going to determine how she fully felt, she was going to have to see his face…for the first time since she met him.

Kalila slowly lifted up her arms and eventually rested her hands atop Altair's hood. He looked down at her, stared at her carefully, anticipating her next move. Since he didn't retaliate, Kalila bit into her lip more; she slowly moved back his hood in a swift motion. Her mouth _almost_ gaped open…

He was _incredibly_ handsome; Kalila even almost dared herself to use the diction of 'sexy'…but she stopped herself. He had a flawless bone structure; his dark brown hair was not cut to the hairline, but long enough to be slightly messy.

However, the one feature that _really_ reeled her in was his eyes. Altair's eyes, as she already knew, were a golden color…like an eagle's. But now, since the shadow of his hood was not there to distract them, she found that they were a _very_ vibrant gold. She almost nearly stopped all of her movements just to stare at them.

Altair noticed how Kalila was staring at him and he was growing increasingly frustrated. He brought one of his hands from her neck to her cheek and stroked it softly. Kalila shivered slightly and bit her lip; okay, so he was _really_ attractive and he was _really_ a great person in general.

However…something was still holding her back. _However_, she wasn't given the chance to tread on it since Altair leaned down again and kissed her roughly and passionately _again_. And _again_, she swooned as her heart accelerated greatly.

After a moment, Kalila's emotions came over her; she brought her hands down from Altair's head, wrapped her arms around his neck, and reacted to the kiss to the best of her ability.

When she finally did respond, Altair felt his heart soar. It felt as if a huge weight was lifted off his shoulders; it was a very new feeling for him…

He's had his share of woman in the past…three to be exact. It was a _nice_ feeling while he was with them, and it was even _nicer_ when he shared intercourse with them.

However, what he was feeling with Kalila, right in that moment, was even greater than any climax he has ever experienced.

This thought caused his mind to linger elsewhere…

Altair was suddenly filled with a relentless _need_ for Kalila…all of her. He brought his hands from her neck to her waist and pulled her closer to him, causing Kalila to gasp and blush slightly. She wasn't exactly sure what to expect next, and it was difficult to focus on her surroundings _and_ kiss Altair in return…

Suddenly, she felt the unfamiliar sensation of Altair's tongue graze her lips. She gasped again and the moist, yet oddly good-tasting object was suddenly in her mouth. Kalila then stopped responding all together as she felt Altair move his tongue along almost every corner of her mouth. She unexpectedly moaned into her friend's mouth and flushed immensely once she did so.

When Kalila _did_ moan softly, Altair nearly groaned out himself. He was slowly becoming overwhelmed by the taste and feel of his beloved, and the fact that she just moaned made it extremely difficult to contain himself.

Finally, she _couldn't_ contain himself; Altair started to guide Kalila backwards closer to her bed until, suddenly, she felt backwards onto it and he fell on top of her.

Their kiss had continued and Altair kept trying to deepen it, his rational mind slowly drifting away. Kalila saw where this all was heading towards the moment her back hit her head…and she panicked suddenly. Her mind started yelling at her, _"What happened to your morals?"_

Her _morals_…! _That's_ why she was so hesitant…!

It took her a moment to gather the courage to break their kiss; she moved her hands to Altair's shoulders and pushed up so that they were now disconnected. Altair looked down at Kalila in disbelief; had he done something _wrong_? He noticed how she was looking off to the side and he could have sworn he saw her eyes glistening.

…Was she _crying_? Altair's eyes grew wide with his realization.

"_If I made her cry, I will kill myself right here and now." _He promised himself.

Kalila cleared her throat as she continued to not make eye contact, "I-I'm sorry Altair, I—"

It was worse than he thought…she didn't feel the same way.

Kalila looked up at Altair finally and managed to decipher his thoughts. She gasped softly and shook her head, "N-No…" He suddenly stood up normally and turned his back to her as he put his hood back on, "…My apologies."

He started to walk out of her room, but then Kalila quickly got up and grabbed onto his arm with both hands, "P-Please don't leave…! Please let me explain…" Altair turned his head slightly to look at her; her eyes were still glistening, but were sincere. He gulped and turned around completely and crossed his arms, "I'm listening." Kalila released his arm and sighed.

"You see…just now…that was my first kiss. Altair…you were my first kiss. A-And, it caught me so off guard, but it felt _so_…right. But the thing is…I don't even know if it _is_ right. Like, I don't know how I _feel_ about you Altair… Y-You see…because I was in an arranged marriage at such an early age, I never got to even really _talk_ to any boys except for Sayyid and my father.

"…I've never been in love Altair. But I do _like_ you, I know it… But I also have this one…moral, I guess. I always told myself I would _never_ rush into any relationship before getting to know the person first. That may be the only thing Sayyid ever indirectly taught me..."

Kalila put a hand to her heart and shook her head, "You are…an amazing human being Altair and I would almost be _honored_ to be with you… But, even though I can be hard-headed and impulsive…this is just something I've thought about since I was eight, and I can't just blow it off."

Altair stared at Kalila in amazement and awe; if it was possible, he probably loved her even more than he had five minutes ago. He relaxed his arms at his sides and nodded slowly, "I understand."

That was it…and Kalila smiled slightly in response. Suddenly, her smile turned into a smirk as she quickly went behind Altair and pushed him over to her bed, "Now come on. I wanna know _everything_ about you. If I can ask you anything, you can ask _me_ anything."

Altair blinked slightly as he sat down on her bed, "Everything…?"

"Everything."

The master assassin smirked beneath his hood; what Kalila didn't know was that Altair was going to take that word _very_ literally…

* * *

**Oh boy...I'm actually kinda looking forward to next chapter ;D I hope you guys don't get mad at me for Kalila's character this chapter...I know she came off as kind of vulnerable, but the way I see it, Kalila is like a tootsie roll pop: hard on the outside, but chewy and soft on the inside. ...you know what, nevermind. xD Remember to review and favorite, and I'll see you next chapter! =]**


	8. NOT AN UPDATE BUT PLEASE READ

***This note is EXCEPTIONALLY important, so please read all of it. Thank you!***

...Well...this is awkward...

I'm soooo sorry guys. I'm so bad at this whole updating thing, I know. But I'm finally on winter break from college and I've only now been able to sit down and write this author's note. And even over the summer I was working so much that I barely had time to breathe.

To start, I'd like to thank everybody who has continuously been reviewing, favoriting, and alerting my stories. This account is jointed with my core email, so every time someone does one of these things, I will undoubtedly see it.

And it really does brighten my day, every time. Some people have written such beautiful reviews that I honestly was considering dropping all of my school work and essays to just continue with my leisure writing. Alas...I have a GPA to maintain. So thank you to all of you, really. You have no idea how much what you say affects me.

But on a heavier note...I'm not going to lie to any of you. I am going to use this note to update all of my stories, but the same news affects them all: I am at a complete dead-end with my stories. I mean, I know exactly where I want everything to go, but I just...can't bring myself to segway my conclusions with multiple chapters. I just don't have the mentality or time to do it.

In addition, I'm working on two or three other stories that I am much more serious about...mostly one, in particular. So serious that I am considering talking to an editor of some sort if/when I get around to finishing it. But, before I do that, I'm going to upload what I have no far onto for other people's opinions. I'm going to do this in a couple days, since I only today have made an account there. So, if you guys like me at all as a writer/person, I would appreciate if you would check it out. Since it is not yet released, if you are seriously interested, please PM me or say in your review that you are interested and I will reply to you with the link to the story when it is uploaded.

So, at the end of the day, I guess what I'm trying to say is that...my stories will be discontinued. However, this decision is not _final_. Another option I am considering is writing one last chapter for each story, explaining, as the author, where I intended to go with each piece of writing. I am leaning more towards the latter.

I couldn't just...leave all of my dedicated readers hanging. And I certainly don't want to leave myself hanging. At some point in time, these stories meant the world to me. They kept me _sane_. Perhaps I've grown up from them...or perhaps I just have a serious case of writer's block that cannot be remedied. xD

...I guess that's it. Please review or PM me or whatever to let me know your opinions on all of this. If you're angry, let me know you're angry (but please be gentle, haha...) and if you're happy, sad, confused, etc...please let me know that as well. As I said, your words mean everything to me. There is still hope for these stories. Please don't give up on me...

Until next time, my friends.

-Skye


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